United Way of Greater Fort Dodge is working hard to help homeless families with children.

Family homelessness in the U.S., in Iowa and in Fort Dodge is on the rise at an alarming rate. Experts that help families in poverty blame this alarming problem on the increasing cost of rent, utilities, and food; the ever-tightening supply of affordable housing; and the end of most pandemic-era benefits.

National statistics show that Iowa ranks in the Top 10 of all the states in the nation for the highest increase in rental rates in the past six months.

The fact is, there are many, many families that were already just barely making it, then when inflation hit and the economy changed, these families found themselves in desperate situations, including becoming homeless. The very sad fact is that these are families with children, and the high majority of these families are single-parent families headed by the mother. The number of families facing homelessness that have contacted United Way here in Fort Dodge has more than tripled in the past 18 months.

Compounding the problem is the fact that Fort Dodge, like most cities in Iowa, has a shortage of affordable housing. Plus, much of the existing housing stock is aging and in need of rehabilitation.

In Iowa, 40 percent of the housing units were built before 1950. Across Iowa, an aging housing stock, rising construction costs and insufficient resources are contributing to this shortage of affordable housing.

According to the Iowa Finance Authority, communities in Iowa will need 47,000 more affordable homes by 2030 to meet the housing needs of Iowa residents.

In Iowa, single-parent families, headed by mothers with children, make up the largest group of people who are homeless, and this number is increasing. A statewide homeless survey shows that families with children make up 61 percent of the total homeless population in Iowa.

In Fort Dodge, most homeless families don’t sleep under bridges. Some sleep in their cars and many others move from one friend’s home or apartment to another, sleeping on couches or on floors.

For the children, the instability of having to sleep in a different place every night places a tremendous amount of stress on them. It is estimated that 90 percent of families experiencing homelessness are female-headed and close to half of all homeless children are under the age of 6. The typical homeless family is comprised of a mother in her late 20s with two children. These young families are often forced to spend 50 percent or more of their monthly income on rent. This burden means they will have to sacrifice other items such as food, utilities, transportation or medicine.

A study by the U.S. Federal Reserve shows that 42.9 percent of households with children in Webster County are headed by a single parent. The actual number of homeless women and children in the greater Fort Dodge area is not known, but the number of homeless families or families that are close to eviction and are just one bill away from becoming homeless is in the hundreds.

As one can imagine, the experience of being homeless is traumatic for children. Research shows that homeless children often face a constant barrage of stressful and traumatic experiences as they are twice as likely to experience hunger, three times more likely to be physically abused and four times as likely to have delayed development. Homeless children also experience more mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and withdrawal.

It is unrealistic to think we can end homelessness in Fort Dodge, but there are opportunities to leverage our resources and develop a synergistic approach to attacking the issue that will help reduce the problem, impact lives and use limited resources more efficiently.

United Way in Fort Dodge is focused on helping our youth thrive, especially those that are struggling to overcome major obstacles like poverty and homelessness. United Way funds provide emergency support for homeless families or families that are on the verge of becoming homeless, to help them overcome this horrendous challenge and find affordable housing that will help lead to family stability. Without this support, the children just don’t have a chance.

Randy Kuhlman is the chief executive officer of the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way.